Today we will talk about how to tap into one of the easiest foods to grow on your land in our area: Chestnuts! Specifically how to harvest, store, grow and prepare them.

What mother nature is providing

• Drought -  That means all the usual mushrooms that we harvest at this time of year are not blooming. The good side of this is that firewood has seasoned on the forest floor over the summer and is dry and easy to burn -
• Creek mint
• Venison

What we are preserving this week

• Stocks and stews
• The final set of frozen summer tomatoes
• Before the freeze: harvested comfrey and other herbs and they are hanging to dry in the kitchen

Preparing Chestnuts (Look you can buy them on Amazon!)

• Scoring: I like to use this tool. It operates like a stamp and makes me fear less for my fingers!
• Roasting
• Boiling
• The open fire method

Three ways to eat chestnuts

1. Roasted
2. Added to stuff: Casseroles (like the dressing, tuna, etc), breads you are baking, dressing
3. Chestnut griddle cakes: 1 cup milk, 2 eggs, 4 cups chestnuts (in shell)